Construction across campus has increased in the month of June. Eleven new construction projects have begun, ranging from repaving to serious repair.
Close to 800 parking spots have been lost but should be reopened by the end of summer.
However, summer efforts will not bring any relief for commuters in the fall.
"Nothing we are doing right now will create new spaces for the fall," said Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking Services.
All but one of the 11 new projects is scheduled to be completed by the end of August. The one that will not, the restoration of Arps Garage, is scheduled to finish in September. Chris Wood, a recent graduate from Ohio State, said that he is annoyed by all the construction but understands the purpose.
"On one hand it is annoying, but on the other, I appreciate the nice, new buildings on campus and I understand this is what you have to go through to get that," Wood said.
Blouch urges students to understand that sometimes the construction is not always preventative and needs to be done because of an emergency.
"Tuttle Park Place requires a steam line repair. So it is not preventative and it will require repaving once it is complete," Blouch said.
Construction all over campus creates delays and congestion, according to the Traffic and Parking Services Web site. This causes "a ripple effect" that leads to traffic problems in other areas of campus.
"I drive to work everyday and going through campus can take a long time when the road goes down to one lane," said Becky Pearce, a senior in family resource management.
Blouch said students should leave a little extra time to get to class to account for any possible delays that might occur.
"Surface parking is there for people who need it," Blouch said. "One of the great parts of summer is that there just aren't as many people on campus."
David Surovec can be reached at surovec.1@osu.edu.
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